ATHLETE ALLOWANCE. At least for another month, national athletes would enjoy a full allowance from the Philippine Sports Commission as their stipend was supposed to be cut in half this month. The Muay Thai wiakru taksa team pose after a performance at the Baguio Christmas Village late November 2019 before they competed in the Southeast Asian Games. From left are Jearome Calica, Iredin Lapitan, Ruscha Bayacsan, and Joemar Gallanza. (PNA photo by Pigeon Lobien)
BAGUIO CITY – National athletes from the Cordillera region have received their full allowance from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
Athletes expressed elation as their expected monthly allowance that was supposed to be cut in half was still received in full.
“Thank God! Hindi (hinati), buo pa din (Thank God! No (it was not halved), it is still the full amount),” arnis athlete Eza Rai Yalong told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in a message on Saturday.
“Talagang super big help sa akin talaga (This is really a big help for me),” said Yalong, who is helping improve their house using her monthly stipend.
The PSC earlier announced the reduction in half the monthly stipend of the national athletes starting this month as a cost-cutting measure, with the bulk of their budget returned to the national coffers to help in the efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
“Sana hindi na ituloy 'yung cut ng allowance mostly kasi kakilala ko na athletes dun lang talaga po umaasa for their allowance (Hopefully [the Philippine Sports Commission] would not cut our allowance because most of the athletes I know depend on it),” she said.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) has stopped giving money to the PSC with all gaming, where the money is sourced, had ceased.
“Eto na daw last talaga (This is the last). Next month, the allowance will be halved,” said Abegail Abad, the youngest member of the Philippine Arnis team who won a gold in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Manila last year.
But athletes remain optimistic they would still get what has been allotted for them especially after a record-breaking performance in the SEA Games.
Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go this week suggested that the PSC just cut the monthly allowance but give the full retroactively once the Pagcor resumes operation and give its share to the sports body.
Go's suggestion came after hearing that the PSC board had decided to temporarily terminate the giving of the allowance to the athletes.
“That will be nice, even without training, they (PSC and government) remain supportive to us,” Abad said.
This is also good news for Crisamuel Delfin, a member of the arnis national team who hogged the limelight during the SEA Games for refusing to wear underwear beneath his loincloth in his gold medal performance for the event.
Delfin, who grew up in La Trinidad, Benguet is trying to build a house for his mother and family in Binangonan, Rizal where they are now based.
Delfin used most of his windfall in the 2019 SEA Games to put up a Japanese surplus business for his mother in Binangonan where he is also enrolled at the Jose Rizal University there.
Top tier athletes like boxer Nesthy Petecio also expected to see her PHP45,000 monthly stipend cut in half but was also glad to have gotten the full amount.
Other national athletes who are based here are boxers Josie Gabuco, Aira Villegas, and Olympics-bound Irish Magno.
Petecio and Magno immediately returned to Baguio after their Olympics qualifiers in Amman, Jordan before the whole Luzon was declared under an enhanced community quarantine in mid-March. (PNA)
